Nazca Lines: The Mysterious Peruvian Figures

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A trip to Peru can be even more fun if you include a visit to the Nazca lines in your itinerary. The activity, which can be done in a day, allows the tourist to fly over the desert, and see the most unusual and curious figures in South America.

The set of ancient geoglyphs is located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. From Lima to there is 449 km — a car journey between the two cities takes about 8 hours.

For many years, the history of the Nazca lines was shrouded in many mysteries and theories, attracting the attention of many tourists with an adventurous spirit and also archaeologists from all over the world. Even after having its real history discovered, people's interest in the place continued to grow, transforming the desert into one of the most visited tourist spots in Peru.

The Nazca Lines and Geoglyphs are made up of several figures, created by the Nazca civilization between 400 and 650 AD, according to historians. Elected as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994, they were made in shallow lines on the soil itself, and are spread over the 80 km of high arid plateau, between the cities of Nazca and Palpa in the Pampas de Jumana.

Facts and theories about the Nazca line

Until recently, people believed that the Nazca lines were made by ETs. But this theory quickly fell apart, when studies carried out showed that several tools and ceramic pieces with the same shapes as the drawings were found very close to the lines.

The figures made in the desert vary from geometric lines, sketches of hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, sharks, llamas, lizards, monkeys among other formats, up to 270 meters in diameter.

There are several theories about the meaning of the lines, ranging from religious reasons, astronomical calendars, indication of the flow of water in the region and even rituals to summon water and fertility in the desert.

The Nazca Desert is one of the driest in the world, and the arid climate and lack of winds in the region contributed to the lines remaining intact for all these years.

The technique used to make the figures was one of the simplest: with the excavation of the lines, the light-colored earth of the desert soil appeared after the extraction of the reddish gravel from the surface, and the contrast of these colors is what makes each drawing stand out.

In the old days, Nazca residents beheaded people for religious rituals, storing mummified heads as trophies. Some archaeologists have already found many of these heads buried near the drawings.

Getting to know the curious Nazca lines can be an unforgettable experience, but it will require some investment and patience. Some agencies in Lima sell the “Nazca for a day” tour, which vary in price according to the type of package you choose. Are they:

By bus: Departure from Lima at 3:45 am (yes, in the morning!). It's 7 hours by road to Nazca + half an hour by flight on the lines + 7 hours return trip, at US$ 195 per person.

By private car: The itinerary is the same as the bus, at US$ 375 per person.

From Lima to Pisco: In this package, the agency offers travel by bus (US$ 345 per person) or car (US$ 560 per person) to Pisco (about 3 and a half hours), with a flight from the air base from the city to the Nazca lines. This coach trip lasts 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Are you ready to add this adventure to your cultural bag?

Have fun!

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